Paper short abstract:

Through some examples, this paper demonstrates the importance of taking into account diversity in planning urban interventions in poor neighbourhoods and argues for an intersectional approach focusing on the relations between residents and between different groups of residents.

Paper long abstract:

Many urban interventions in poor urban neighbourhoods in the global south assume all residents have similar aspirations and needs. However, these neighbourhoods are some of the most unequal settlements and interventions in these contexts create winner and losers. Different dimensions of diversity have to be taken into consideration in the planning of these intervention. Community participation approaches tend to portray an image of homogeneous community, leading to specific elite interest to be portrayed as community interests. Through some examples, this paper provides the framework for the panel and argue for an intersectional approach, focusing on the relations between residents and between different groups of residents. As these unequal relationships are deeply entrenched, rebalancing them means taking power away from local elites, often the very same elites used by implementers to provide community legitimacy to the intervention. Understanding local complex constellations of power and having power become prerequisites for interventions which do not adversely affected the most marginalised residents.